Evening Meals
by RiddleRose13
Summary: Gladion finds himself becoming lonely after Lillie leaves for Kanto. However, Moon and Hau think otherwise.


Gladion gets lonely when Lillie leaves. Moon and Hau say otherwise.

Set post-Moon. Mainly a friendship fic but there's a little bit of Moon and Gladion shipping. I originally posted this on Tumblr but I figured I should shove this on Fanfiction too.

I don't own Pokemon; I just want to play in the sandbox.

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While he was used to Aether Paradise being quiet, he wasn't used to Aether Paradise being this type of quiet. When he was growing up, there would be the sounds of his sister giggling, his mother's heels on the white tiles or the random explosions from his father's lab. When his father disappeared, so did Lillie's laughter but there was still comforting noises. After two years, he first time he returned, Aether Paradise was filled with the sounds of hurried footsteps, yelling and battles.

But now that everyone was gone... it was quiet in a way he didn't like. Gladion sat at his desk (not his mother's because he refused to step foot in that lab unless he absolutely had to) and poured over the basic paperwork. Wicke had provided him with a dictionary because he was still twelve (almost thirteen thank you very much) and there were still things he had to learn. But Gladion knew he was the best choice. Wicke was not the type of person to take charge of an entire company and Faba was incompetent at best. Naturally he was the only one who could fix the problems that resided inside the Foundation. Corrupt members had to be weeded out, experiments had to be halted and research on the Ultra Beasts were to be transferred to Professor Burnett. So far, only one of those things had even started and the Foundation had a long way to go to repair the damage caused by his mother.

Gladion rubbed his forehead, sighing, before signing an order for Wicke to begin conducting interviews on the scientists. He had agreed to step up; he couldn't back down now. But... something was wrong. His fingers twitched constantly as he tried to figure out what was bothering him. No he was not lonely. He had Silvally and the rest of his team. He did not need the loud and annoying Hau or the shy but sassy Moon. He'd survived two years alone; he did not need people now.

He sat locked in a mental debate with himself for a good few minutes before shaking his head and standing up. Silvally, looking up from where it had been resting by his desk, gave a curious growl and Gladion returned the concern with a soft smile. "I just need to get outside for a moment. Wanna come?"

Silvally pushed itself to its feet and trotted after him, rubbing its head against his back. Gladion reached back, stroking the Pokémon's head comfortingly. He turned back to the door, only for it to be kicked open. Instinct had him reaching for his pokéballs at his belt and Silvally was on edge immediately but Hau raced into the room, grinning widely. "HEY!"

"What are you doing here?" Gladion groaned, rubbing his forehead. Hau didn't answer and instead begin to push the older boy towards the door. "Never mind that! Come on, we have to meet up with Moon!"

"What are you talking about?" Gladion asked, catching himself as he stumbled and swinging himself out of Hau's reach. Hau rolled his eyes but grinned. "She's right outside; come on!"

He dashed through the front door and Gladion could hear him greeting the Alolan champion loudly. Knowing that Hau wouldn't let him return to his office, Gladion groaned loudly, recalled Silvally and trudged outside. It was early evening but the moon had already climbed high into the sky, lighting up the courtyard outside the large mansion. Moon and Hau stood outside the front steps, the girl's arms crossed and a smile on her face as Hau described something that he had done. She must've heard the door click because she turned to look at him, greeting Gladion with a kind smile. "Evening."

"Evening." He returned the greeting, stopping next to them and crossing his arms. "What's going on?"

"We're going to my house for dinner." Moon shrugged, already beginning to walk towards the elevator, Hau following her.

"I have a kitchen here you know." Gladion protested, walking after them. Moon smiled, one hand brushing her fringe out of her face. "I know. Mum insisted on meeting you though. Said you were my only friend she wasn't introduced to yet. And she said that you are coming for dinner every weekday."

"And I don't get a choice in this?" Gladion asked, watching as Moon and Hau exchanged wicked grinned before shaking their heads in unison. "Nope."

He sighed. "Fine."

Moon's mother was very nice. That was the first thing he could think of. She was different from his own mother. While Lusamine had been very prim, proper and overall fake, Moana was homely, smiling and very open. She greeted him with open arms but her keen eyes noticed the flinch that he was sure he had hidden and she immediately changed her movements to shake his hand instead, dismissing his attempt to call her 'Ms' or 'Mrs'.

"It's Moana." She said as she pulled something out of the oven. "Just Moana."

He wanted to protest but he caught a whiff of whatever she was cooking and his stomach growled, causing Hau and Moon to giggle at him. Glaring at them both (not that that stopped them), Gladion wondered if this arrangement wasn't too bad. He had never had such nice food and Moana was perfect for conversation, telling him about the small business that she had run back in Kanto and offering advice up in regards to his own problems. At the same time as this, she could easily keep up with Hau's spontaneous nature and the two would trade jokes and kind jabs whenever he paused to eat (inhale) the food on his plate. Moon watched them all in content silence from the end of the table, her grey eyes happy.

Soon this had become a regular custom. Once the clock hit 7:30, he stopped working, grabbed his pokéballs and headed off to the Hau'oli Outskirts. Sometimes it would just be Moana and Moon. Other times Kukui and Burnett would be there. Once several of the trial captains would arrive and Gladion couldn't bring himself to leave until it was almost midnight.

One of those busy nights, he made his way out onto the small balcony to catch a breath of fresh air and realised that he was smiling. When was the last time he had had so much fun? Heck, when was the last time he had even spent this much time around people and not felt awkward? It was almost strange. Despite his past involvement with Team Skull, no one was holding it against him. The door opened and closed and Gladion saw Moon lean against the rail next to him. "Too much for you?"

He nodded. "Just a bit."

Moon smiled, her eyes focused on the stars. "Lana doesn't seem to be the rambunctious type but she's a bit of a trickster. I'd watch out for her."

They stood in silence, Gladion watching as Moon fiddled her hair, trying to keep it in its tuck despite the wind. "Hey Moon?"

She blinked at him curiously. "What?"

"Why did you do this?"

"Come out to talk to you?" Moon asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No." He rolled his eyes and waved towards the house. " _This._ "

"Oh." Moon was silent for a long moment, eyes focusing on the ground, before she tilted her head. "Well I know what it's like to be lonely. And it's not fun. You were saddled with a lot of pressure and it didn't seem fair so I spoke to Mum and this started."

"This was your idea?" Gladion asked sharply, turning to face the girl. She nodded, not even looking embarrassed. "Of course. You're my friend, Gladion. Despite what you may think, you're my friend. And I will not let you wallow in depression or loneliness or whatever. It's been almost two months since Lillie left and I hadn't heard from you once. So, naturally, I took steps to fix that. Mum was the one to refine the details."

They stood in silence again, Moon's arms crossed across her chest as she stared him down, daring him to say anything against her speech. Gladion, for his part, felt oddly touched, and leant back against the rail. "Thank you."

Moon blinked in surprise before smiling. "Of course. You're welcome. Now come on. Mum's made chestnut Anpan and you definitely want to try some of those."

"What's 'Anpan'?" Gladion repeated and watched as Moon planted both hands on her hips. "What's Anpan! What are you; crazy? Anpan is only the best dessert Kanto has! It's better than Masaladas!"

She reached out, hand closing around Gladion's wrist, and began dragging him inside, ranting about the new dessert that he absolutely had to try. Gladion let her, trying desperately to stop himself from smiling. What had he done to deserve friends like these?


End file.
